CA Single Mom Looking 4 Best Place to Live in Boston Area??? (Worcester: apartments, rent)

[Youngmountain]

Hi Ravin,
A bit of a late reaction, but I couldn't help wondering why you are looking for a private school for your son, if money is a possible issue. There are many school districts around the Boston area that have great public schools, no? Check out
Boston Schools
for more information, or check out previous threads on this forum about schools.
From what I have read so far (I am currently living in the Netherlands so I am no expert in this field), private schools can eat up about your entire annual salary! And it seems that the districts with great schools are also more expensive to live in, but maybe still cheaper than private school.

[ravin029]

I really appreciate all your responses! This is sooo much help! I want to say to the last response from tizzy - I know this will be a BIG change for me comming from CA to MA and yes it will take A LOT of getting used to and adjusting to such a diffrent city. You must know I NEEEEED this change in my life right now...for me and my son. Everybody here is telling me to BEWARE of the cold and the snow. I grew up in KC, MO till I was a teenager, I know cold and snow, the ice, slippery side walks, and snow days. I also lived in Louisiana for two years and it got really cold and snowed down there, and I don't mind these things. Visting would be nice but like you said it's not the same as living there. It's hard to say you'll like living in some place until you've actually lived there no matter where that may be. I just know this is what I've wanted for at least the past 8 to 10 years now and I gotta go for it.
RedSoxGurl80 - I have been looking to work in the CT area and your right the prices in CT are a lot more reasonable than Boston, however I seem to find a lot more job opportunities in the Boston are. Also Worcester is where I started looking for housing, it is a lot cheaper in this are. In fact like Smarty suggested further out is what I started doing and I'm looking at job opportunities in RI, NJ, upstate NY and possibly CT. I have also noticed the pay being better in CT so far, but I've found not too many job opportunities for me. Where are the jobs in CT!? Everywhere else I get something, but in CT I can't find much. However, I'll take the best offer when the time comes.
Thanks again all of you and I'll keep you guys updated on where I am ;-)

[ravin029]

I didn't see your response till now youngmountain. I've always wanted my son to go to a private school. I'm not really for public schools if I had my way he wouldn't be in one now. I don't like the way public schools teach our children, that's just a personnal opinion for me. I've also gone online and looked up private schools back east and yes they are expensive however unlike here in CA a lot of the private schools on the eastcoast offer financial aid to families who qualify. So in the long run if I can get him in with some assistance I will do that first vs sending him to a public school.

[smarty]

Yes. Many private schools around here do offer financial aid especially for under represented minorities.

The public schools here are much much better than the ones in CA. Some communities have students to teacher ratio as low as 16 to 1. Many are between 18-25 students to a teacher.

[hcoen]

I'm a realtor in West Roxbury, MA. which is part of the city. If I can be of assistance, please let me know. I would be happy to send you some real estate listings so you can get a sense of the area, prices, etc. I am also a mother of 2, educated my kids in a combination of public and private schools. I loof forward to hearing from you.

[GipsyHeart]

Hi everybody! I was searching in the Internet info about Boston as I am too looking to relocate to the area. I am currently living in MN and have a 3 y.o. daughter. And I guess I hit the jackpot with this Forum. It has allot of valuable information that I needed to make my big decision on when and how to make the big jump. So think all of you that have reply to this posting you are not only helping 1 but 2 people with your comments and suggestions.

[K-Luv]

Raven029-

I am originally from Sacramento myself-now living in Maine (with a ten year stint in Minneapolis in between). Let me tell you this; coming from Sacto, you'll have no problem fitting in with Boston or the East Coast in general.

The only two major differences will be 1) the obvious weather-cold and snowy in winter and humid in the summer. and 2) Boston is a highly educated city, and as pointed out by others on this thread that can lead to a lot of competition for jobs.

Come to think of it there is a third noticeable difference in that there are actually things to do in Boston....

[hphecking]

Under no circumstance should you move from CA. Wherever in CA you are, it's 100x better than any piece of garbage you'll find in Mass. Boston is such a dump. I live northwest of the city. It snows here a lot, and that stuff just lingers around for weeks and months while you sit around waiting for it to melt. The summer is way too humid.

I moved from California to New England and I cannot wait to get back!

California is the best place in the country. Trust me and stay there.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by hphecking

Under no circumstance should you move from CA. Wherever in CA you are, it's 100x better than any piece of garbage you'll find in Mass. Boston is such a dump. I live northwest of the city. It snows here a lot, and that stuff just lingers around for weeks and months while you sit around waiting for it to melt. The summer is way too humid.

I moved from California to New England and I cannot wait to get back!

California is the best place in the country. Trust me and stay there.

Where in CA did you move from and how long have you been in MA?

Can you describe your experience that led you to think Boston is a dump?

We just had 18 inches of snow in December 2007... It is more than the amount of snow fall for the entire previous winter.

[GreenMachine]

Originally Posted by hphecking

Under no circumstance should you move from CA. Wherever in CA you are, it's 100x better than any piece of garbage you'll find in Mass. Boston.

Sounds a bit trollish.

To the O.P. -- I just moved to Mass from Los Angeles, and I couldn't be happier. Yeah, it snows here, but so what. You wear warmer clothes and deal with it. Winters here make people more rugged and keep them practical. The women here are tough and independent. They let their hair turn gray and shovel the snow out of their own driveways. They don't worry about buying the latest Fendi bag. People here talk about politics. They care about what's going on in the world.

My main reason for moving here is that I was tired of the superficial life in California. After years of living there, I had nothing to show for it. It's a transient place. You see a high turnover in everything. People replace their friends as often as they do their cars. My friends in Massachusetts are true friends. They stick it out through thick and thin and they are there when I need them.

Follow your heart when it comes to moving, and when you get here, put your feet in the ground and make it work for you. It's not the decisions we make in life, but how we implement those decisions that counts. Remember that.

Greenie